Regress
by flowerofsin
Summary: AU. Memory lost amidst the rolling dunes. Characters: Nnoitra & Neliel.


Title: Regress

Author: Eumenides (flowerofsin)

Fandom: Bleach

Characters: Nnoitra & Neliel

Prompt: 011 (change)

Word Count: 752

Rating: PG

Summary: AU. Memory lost amidst the rolling dunes.

Warnings: none

Disclaimer: I own nothing from Bleach. Kubo Tite rules all.

As Neliel made her way across the pale dunes, she could hear the trudge of footsteps a distance away. When she paused, so did the sound of small feet upon sand. She turned to glare over her shoulder at the boy who trailed behind her.

"I told you," Neliel said in a stern voice, "Stop following me."

The child gazed over at her, his thin lips pressing into an angry line as his eye narrowed. This had once been a fearsome glare that gave lesser arrancar pause when Nnoitra had been a man, Now it seemed more like a pout due to his boyish face, the way his now over-sized clothing hung off of his small frame almost endearing.

"What else am I supposed to do?" he asked. "There's nothing out here but sand."

"That's not my problem," Neliel said coldly, turning away to head back toward Aizen's stronghold. In her mind's eye, the image of her two Fracción, their bloodied and broken bodies lying crumpled on the ground rose to haunt her.

After a moment, she heard the sound of the boy plodding quickly up behind her.

"Hey, lady, wait up," the child said, somehow managing not to trip on the ragged pale clothes that hung off of him.

When Neliel turned back toward him, the expression on her face made him halt in his tracks. He gazed up at her in annoyed confusion.

"Why are you so mad at me? I didn't-"

The boy's words cut off in a gasp as she prowled quickly toward him, her hand moving to the hilt of her sword. The child shrank back from her, tripping over his trailing clothes and landing on his backside in the sand. The way he gazed up at her in fearful confusion gave Neliel pause. Her hand slid off of her sword to hang at her side.

His expression changing to a sad frown, Neliel was able to catch a hint of the jagged scar that ran across the hollow mask remnant on his face before it was obscured by long hair as Nnoitra bowed his head. A shiver went through his small frame as he sat forward, his shoulders slumped.

"I don't know what's going on," he admitted in a low voice. There was a hint of something in his boyish voice that evoked a need in her to reach out to him. For a moment, Neliel resisted this, but somehow found herself moving forward. The boy stiffened at her approach, but relaxed when he felt a hand alight gently onto the top of his head as she crouched down before him.

"I'm sorry I frightened you," Neliel found herself telling him.

"I-I'm not scared!" Nnoitra insisted sullenly, his head still bowed and his fingers curling into the sand beneath them. Despite herself, Neliel's lips drew up into a small smile. Even now, Nnoitra was still Nnoitra.

Raising her head, Neliel gazed behind the boy at the rolling dunes in the distance where they had fought, the battle that had started in Las Noches spilling out into the surrounding area.. She shook her head at the memory of how he'd continued to fight her though the outcome was inevitable. The other Espada had finally gotten what he'd wanted from Neliel, her anger at what he'd done to her Fracción making her cross swords with him.

When Neliel woke from her reverie, she realized that the hand she'd placed on the boy's head had somehow slid downward to cup his cheek, her fingers entwining in his inky black hair. Nnoitra's eye glittered up at her, the hint of a flush on his skin.

"Hey, lady," he asked in a voice that held a hint of wonder, "What's your name?"

"I am Neliel," she told him smoothly before listening to him repeat it in a tone that showed he found it interesting.

Nnoitra frowned up at her after a moment. "Do you know who I am?" He dropped his head as though embarrassed. "I can't really remember."

"Your name is Nnoitra," she offered.

His head popped up as something occurred to him. "Hey, do you know me?"

Neliel's expression softened as she gazed at him. "Ah, I do."

"Were we friends?" the boy asked, a lone eye gazing curiously up at her.

There was a moment when Neliel paused before the word 'yes' spilled from her lips. She almost wished that it hadn't been a lie.

End


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